Understanding perspectives and practices related to feral pig control, use and management in the Otways

By exploring public understandings of feral pigs and the environment, the research supports more effective and ethical management.

Project summary

Feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are a significant environmental challenge across Australia, including in the Otways region of Victoria. Through rooting, wallowing and predation, feral pigs damage soils, waterways and vegetation, threaten native wildlife, spread disease, and impact agriculture and biodiversity.

Efforts to manage feral pigs are shaped not only by ecology, but by people. Hunters, landholders, environmental managers and community members all interact with feral pigs in different ways, bringing diverse values, beliefs and practices to how feral pigs and their control, use and management are understood. These perspectives can align or come into tension, having practical implications for what unfolds on the ground.

What are we interested in?

This project focuses on the human dimensions of feral pig management in the Otways.

We are interested in how different people connected to the Otways make sense of feral pigs and their management. This includes the ways feral pigs may be seen as pests, resources, or both, and how these understandings relate to ideas about the natural environment, ethics and legitimate or responsible practices. We are particularly interested in how people negotiate tensions between conservation goals, cultural traditions, recreation, livelihoods and care for Country and ecosystems.

The goals of our project

At the heart of this project is a commitment to understanding people as part of the ecological system. By exploring how people understand feral pigs and the natural environment more broadly, the research supports more effective, ethical and socially informed approaches to managing this complex issue.

Outcomes / activities

The project involves face-to-face interviews with Otways residents and visitors, including a targeted sample of people involved in pig hunting. Interviews are being analysed qualitatively to better understand the context and drivers of actions related to feral pigs in the Otways region. An output of the work will be a report for interested parties.

The project provides practical insights to support more effective, socially informed approaches to feral pig management and to help address conflict between stakeholders. By centring social perspectives alongside ecological knowledge, this project contributes to more constructive, ethical and collaborative responses to feral pig management in the Otways.